An Alabama judge allegedly strong-armed dozens of people into giving blood, and it's a sign of a much bigger problem

Alabama
State University Board of Trustee member Marvin Wiggins, right,
talks with other board members during a meeting on the campus in
Montgomery, Ala., Monday, Oct. 28, 2013.Associated Press/ Dave Martin

“For your consideration, there’s
a blood drive outside.” He continued: “If you do not have any
money, and you do not want to go to jail, go out there and give
blood and bring a receipt indicating that you did.”

Afraid of imprisonment, the
majority of defendants, in effect, traded their blood for their
freedom, according to the SPLC.

The SPLC complaint notes that virtually all the defendants
owed “thousands of dollars to the court even years after making
payments.” And these included fees that the defendants had been
charged for their court-appointed lawyers.

While
debtor’s prisons were abolished by the US in 1833, the state
of Alabama still routinely locks people up because they can’t
afford to pay their court fees, according to the SPLC. A
recent SPLC lawsuit alleged that Alexander City, Alabama
residents were being forced to “sit out” their debts in jail at a
rate of $20-$40 per day instead of performing the requisite
community service, or setting up payment plans.

“Far too often in Alabama, we
find that your legal rights are tied to your bank account,” Sara
Zampirein, a staff lawyer for the SPLC
said in a prepared statement. “It’s a two-tiered system
of justice – one for those who can pay and another for those who
can’t. We must stop exploiting the poor.”

We left a message with
Wiggins' office and will update this post if we hear back. Check
out the audio below: